Prospective graduate students

Here in the Department of Mathematics at UH Mānoa, we offer both MA and PhD degrees in mathematics. We have about 20 faculty members with a wide range of interests who can mentor you in algebra, analysis, applied mathematics, combinatorics, geometry, logic, number theory, and topology. You would join a group of almost 40 graduate students learning math and pushing the boundaries of mathematical research. We offer introductory and advanced graduate courses, as well as regular ‘topics’ courses changing every year based on professors’ research interests and student demand. We have a vibrant faculty and grad student lounge that offers a lot of opportunity for talking with your fellow mathematicians.

For more information about faculty research, you can check out our research page.

Program summaries

PhD requirements

The PhD program in the Mathematics Department has four main components: coursework, qualifying exams, a comprehensive exam, and the writing and oral defense of a PhD thesis.

The goal of this program is to develop your abilities to the point where you can contribute original research in mathematics. To this end, we offer a wide range of basic graduate courses as well as advanced topics courses, and the faculty usually run a few seminars every semester. During your time here, you’ll work towards a broad understanding of graduate mathematics, develop your mathematical abilities and creativity, and reach the cutting edge of research in one of the many fields our faculty studies, all culminating in the writing and oral defense of your PhD thesis. Along the way, you’ll have a few milestones to reach: taking at least 10 courses (with some breadth requirements), passing two qualifying exams (out of four: algebra, analysis, applied mathematics, and topology), and completing a comprehensive exam with a faculty advisor.

MA requirements

The MA program in the Mathematics Department has two main components: coursework and the writing and oral presentation of a masters project.

As a student in this program, you’ll take both introductory and more advanced graduate level courses—at least 10 in total—with a lot of freedom to choose your own path. By about half way through the two to three year program, you should settle down on an advisor who can mentor you to the completion of a project that you’ll get to write up and present.

Funding opportunities

Graduate Assistantships are available at stipends which range from approximately \$17,500 to \$19,000 for the academic year, with waiver of tuition. At any given time, about three quarters of our graduate students are supported by teaching assistantships. Some faculty members also have grants that have funds to support students with Research Assistantships. Most graduate assistants teach recitation sections for pre-calculus and calculus courses though other options exist: tutoring, grading, teaching a class, or assisting a professor.

Living in Hawai‘i

The university campus is located on the Leeward side of O‘ahu at the mouth of the Mānoa Valley in Honolulu, about two miles from the beaches of Waikiki. The island offers an abundance of opportunity for outdoor activities from hiking to Mānoa Falls or the summit of Diamond Head to snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, and, as you might imagine, surfing. Moreover, Honolulu is a city of a million people with all sorts of cultural and social activities. You can find out about all this and more on the university’s website.

Application process

The typical requirement for admission to the graduate program is the completion of a standard undergraduate program in mathematics. The candidate will generally be expected to know linear algebra, the elements of abstract algebra, and elementary real analysis. A student whose degree has been awarded in some other field may be considered if they have had the appropriate background courses. Students should also have current GRE scores and are strongly encouraged to submit a personal statement describing their reasons for pursuing a graduate degree in math.

Applications for admission in the Fall semester are accepted from August 1 to February 15, and for the Spring semester from May 1 to October 1.